xe2x80x9cNot applicablexe2x80x9d
xe2x80x9cNot applicablexe2x80x9d
1. Field of the invention
The invention relates to the outputting of messages with the added benefit of receiving a response. In residential telephones there is an added feature of distinctive ringing.
2. Description of Prior Art
I will deal with outputting of messages and after that the distinctive ringing phase.
Shen (U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,594), xe2x80x9cplays back the corresponding audio message from the storage through the audio output.xe2x80x9d This of course is predetermined. Arbel et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,731) delivers predetermined messages to predetermined calling parties. If it is decided in advance it does not allow for a definite message with a definite answer. Goodacre (U.S. Pat. No. 5.822.416) sends a specific predetermined message to a called party based on Caller I.D. Mitzikovsky (U.S. Pat. No. 5,559,860) also deals with pre-programed responses. Ball et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,445) has outputting messages to a calling party based on the incoming calls caller I D but I find it deficient because it is also complicated and predetermined and too xe2x80x9cintuitivexe2x80x9d to be very sound.
In distinctive ringing, I feel, the situation is in a primitive state.
Distinctive ringing in Rondo (U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,205) is limited because how many distictive rings can be generated and remembered.
Shen (U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,594) has speech generators that typically have poor sound quality or are relatively expensive.
Angiollo-Bent et al (U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,075) has a prefix and suffix segments etc., that, I feel, would be difficult for a busy professional to remember.
Core et al.(U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,644) does teach an answering apparatus the capability of generating distinctive ringing (abstract). Core""s distinctive ringing doesn""t give a definite identifying sound and in the work-place individuals have more important things on their mind than to remember tone codes. In my invention there is a direct name one hears or a musical sound that is identified with a definite individual.
Core (110 of FIG. 2) does record the caller""s incoming message by first playing an outgoing message. There doesn""t appear to be a connection between the incoming message and the outgoing message. In my invention this connection is crucial, My invention can state a Client""s question or request for information, answer the question and give the requested information and get a response on the question answered and a response on the information given all in one call and all of it is done on tape that may be recorded and stored on tape.
As of the present, this telephone art is not available. When I talked to a lawyer (employed by a major Tele-Communications Company) dealing with intellectual properties and explained what my invention can do he replied, xe2x80x9cI wish I had such a telephone on my desk right now.xe2x80x9d
The Prof. (professional) and Client had a prima face meeting or a first telephone call. The Client asks the Prof. to look up some information. The Prof. tells the Client that a Personal Caller I D will be used to get the information to the Client. The Client is given or sent a notebook with a pen and a small meter that can be put flat on a desk. When the Client calls the regular Caller I D registers the number and it is decoded. By decoded I mean it is programed to play a section of tape alloted for that number. The Client will hear the question he or she wants answered. It will last one minute. Continuing, the Client will hear the question answered and the information he or she requested. It will last one minute. As the tape continues the third section will be set aside for a response by the Client after the Client hears, xe2x80x9cPleases record your response after the beep.xe2x80x9d The three sections will each last one minute.
The Client will press start on the meter, that is flat on the desk in front of the Client, at the beginning of the recording. The first section, the question will use up 0 to 33 on the meter. Section two, the answer, will use up 33 to 66 on the meter. Section three, the response, will take up 66 to 100 on the meter.
As it was mentioned above, the Client was asked to work out his or her response in the notebook to have as a record. It will be a time saver for both parties. It will be one minute of a concise and compact response. If the Client wants to hear the call again, he or she can call again. The Client can press reverse on the meter to get to 0 again. The Client may call anytime during the week and all week-end.
The Prof. prepares the tape in the following manner. Each Client will be listed on the Menu (FIG. 1). Each Client will have 100 numbers on the Meter No. 1 (FIG. 1). If the Prof. wants to record a message for Client No. 3, Client No. 3 is assigned 200 to 300 on Meter No. 1 which represents three minutes of playing time on the tape, The whole tape, if it has 60 minutes, can service 20 Clients. After each hundred on the Meter No. 1, 100 for each client, the tape automatically stops, with the aid of a timer.
When the Prof. has his or her work completed he or she may start to record. The Prof. sets Meter No. 1 for Client No. 3 (FIG. 1). Meter No. 1 is set at 200. Now the Prof. is ready to record. Of course, when the tape is recording it is reflected on Meter No. 1. The Prof. presses Record button (FIG. 1) of Recording Messages and talks near the section Record voice or sound here (FIG. 1). The Prof. will record the question and use 200 to 233 on the Meter No. 1. It will last one, minute.
Continuing, the Prof. will answer the question using up 233 to 266 on Meter No. 1. It will last one minute. Then the Prof. will say, xe2x80x9cPlease record your response after the beep,xe2x80x9d and the Prof. will press the beeper, (FIG. 1). This section will last one minute. The tape will stop at the end of the response with the aid of a timer. The Meter No. 1 will, of course, have the number 300. The Recording is ready for the Client.
After the Client calls and hears the recording and records his or her response the button on the left side of the Client""s name, using a timer, lights up. When the Prof. wants to hear the call the Prof. presses the lighted button and, with the aid of a timer reverses to 200 on Meter No. 1 and plays to 300 on Meter No. 1. If the Prof. wants to save the call he or she presses reverse button of Meter No. 1 to go from 300 to 200. The Prof. then presses play on the xe2x80x9cRecording Messagesxe2x80x9d (FIG. 1) and simultaneously presses High Speed Dubbing on xe2x80x9cRecording Messages for Storagexe2x80x9d (FIG. 1). The call will be recorded and stored. After the Prof. records the call, he or she will record in his or her notebook (FIG. 2) on the page set aside for that Client, the date the Client called, a note on the call and the numbers used on Meter No. 2. When the Prof. wants to rehear the call he or she will adjust the Meter No. 2 connected to the tape used for the xe2x80x9cRecording Messages for Storagexe2x80x9d and rehears the call (FIG. 1). Example. If the Prof. wants to rehear John Doe""s call of Jun. 10, 1999 (FIG. 2) Meter No. 2 is set at 1500 and the Prof. presses play of the tape, xe2x80x9cRecording Messages fo Storage.xe2x80x9d With the aid of a timer, Meter No. 2 stops at 1600. The call has been heard. The switch, in Function, is set at Dubbing for recording a message and Tape for rehearing a message. (FIG. 1)
Distinctive Ringing in my invention is used only with residential telephones.
When the telephone rings it will ring two times and with the aid of a timer, it will stop. The Caller I D will register the number. It will be decoded, by a decoder, and will play the section of the tape set aside for that number, as stated above on how Personal Caller I D works. The only difference is that the called party has, at the beginning of section one, with the aid of timer, a sound lasting 4 seconds to identify the caller. These sounds can be a musical motive or speaking out the name of the caller. These 4 seconds of sound are not heard by the caller by the use of a sound blocking device.
Someone working at home, I am sure, will appreciate working at length without a disturbance. No one will have to get up at a family supper to answer the phone. They all would know who it is and a recording will satisfy that call. All wrong numbers and all other calls will be left on the answering machine. The individual, finally, has control over his or her time.